“I watched the Indy 500, and I was thinking that if they left earlier they wouldn’t have to go so fast." – Steven Wright

Everyone can use a feel good moment to start the day. Let’s go with this…

Thanks for taking some time out of your day to read this column. I truly appreciate it. If you happen to use Twitter, you can follow me @BoomjackTTH. I rarely use Facebook, but I do occasionally post gaming related tidbits on Google+ where you can find me under my real moniker John Hoskin.

For me it’s a Monday, but by the time you read this it could be just about any day of the week, except probably Monday. Thank you time machine.

I spent the weekend at my son’s hockey tournament. Four hours from home, living out of a hotel, airing out wet equipment in the same small room where we have to sleep, eating arena and roadhouse food. You do a lot of things for your kids that you wouldn’t do for yourself.

It was the first time that I had the chance to get to know the parents on the team, each and every one of which made the same trek that I did, some of them with the other spouse in a different city , doing the same thing with another child. We took two cars so that my wife and daughter could drive the four hours home to let my daughter try out for her travel team. She made it. I’ll miss my wife this winter as we become single parents on the weekends, each driving a different direction so that our kids can have some fun.

The question of what I do for a living always comes up and when I answer there are inevitably questions about video games and opinions shared on how they affect kids. The views range from letting kids play pretty much whatever they want to limiting them to short stints in front of the Xbox. For what it’s worth, my kids learned to read playing World of Warcraft and their vocabulary is extensive because of it. My children are better problem solvers, more patient and do better in school because of the games that they have played. We chose the games, or at least, researched the ones that our kids wanted to play to avoid titles that we felt were too mature and we monitored the play until we were sure that it was appropriate. In the end, it has all worked out just fine.

What are your experiences? How did you or would you handle “game time” with children?

That’s it for today. Thanks again for reading and as always, may your dreams be big and your worries be small.

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